JB Hi-Fi store posts simple guide to Wii and Wii U game purchasing

Remember when the 3DS first launched, it seemed that nobody could quite get their head around the fact that the newest console from Nintendo (the 3DS) wasn’t just another DS?

Well looks like the same is still happening to the Wii U.

A JB Hi-Fi store in Malvern, Victoria has posted a helpful guide on picking up the difference between Wii and Wii U games with an in-store sign.

Lets take a look.

Yes, Wii games come in white cases and Wii U games come in blue. It would seem that, at least in this store, there’s still confusion abound with two consoles and what they can and can’t play. While most people reading this site will know the difference its obviously still a problem with the general public.

We can see the confusion though, New Super Mario Bros Wii. is more expensive than the Wii U sequel, isn’t the more expensive game the newest?

Yep. I recently had a very frustrating conversation with a tech savvy friend of mine who didn’t understand that it wasn’t a handheld. I had to get to the most basic of sentences: “IT’S A CONSOLE BUT THE CONTROLLER HAS A SCREEN IN IT” and he was still like “Ok but you can take it on the bus, right?”

My local games shop has separated the Wii U games from the Wii games altogether because of the confusion. They said they were taking a big hit on Wii U games being bought by Wii owners and returned due to them not working. This continued even after they made a policy of confirming with customers that they had a Wii U.

So the Wii U games now sit in a back corner, with a big sign over them saying: “You need a new Wii U console to play these games. Please see staff for assistance”.

The owner said that most customers aren’t even aware the Wii U exists, and if they are aware of its existence, they think it’s an overpriced peripheral. He’s a big Nintendo fan, and had been pushing the console until recently, but is now getting a bit exasperated at the whole situation.

Retail could alleviate this issue a bit by, you know, giving Wii U Hardware/Accessories/Software its own dedicated shelf space.
Where I live both Wii/Wii U and DS/3DS stuff is thrown together like it is all the same. SMH

Sure, take it on the bus and plug it in but it still WON’T work. Because the gamepad is solely a receiver of data (from the console) then outputs it to the screen. It doesn’t have a game processor as such. Will you bring your Wii U console in the bus with you?

Yeah it’s the customers fault. That is why the customer is the one losing money over this. Oh wait no it’s not!

If you can’t sell your product properly then it’s your fault. If people don’t understand your product because it is not properly differentiated from your previous offering, especially when your target market is women and young children who are either less tech savvy or have to rely on their parents to purchase the product, you have cocked up.